In recognition of his academic achievements in the veterinary college, Lucas was awarded the Clarence and Gertrude Leach Memorial Scholarship, the Herman and Mildred Corder Award, and the A.C. Spotts, III Award. Additionally, Lucas was inducted as a member of the Society of Phi Zeta, a national honor society of veterinary medicine.

While excelling academically, Lucas has also contributed to the surrounding community through his involvement in various organizations. As a member of numerous professional associations, including the Food Animal Practitioner’s Club and Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Lucas has participated in various college club fundraisers and university outreach activities.

On a national front, Lucas has traveled to multiple colleges to speak at educational conferences, including the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Furthermore, he has contributed to publications in Veterinary Parasitology and The Journal of Parasitology.

The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class. The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is a two-state, three-campus professional school operated by the land-grant universities of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and the University of Maryland at College Park. Its flagship facilities, based at Virginia Tech, include the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, which treats more than 40,000 animals annually. Other campuses include the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Va., and the Avrum Gudelsky Veterinary Center at College Park, home of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine. The college annually enrolls approximately 500 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and graduate students, is a leading biomedical and clinical research center, and provides professional continuing education services for veterinarians practicing throughout the two states. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

Written by Helen Broemmelsiek and Morgan Zavertnik. Broemmelsiek, of Midlothian, Va., is a senior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Zavertnik, of Akron, Ohio, is a sophomore double majoring in communication and Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.